With the West Michigan Whitecaps in 2007, he earned a spot on the Midwest League mid-season All-Star game. He finished by batting .253/.347/.422 on the year with 16 homers and 76 RBI. He led MWL first baggers by fielding .993 and tied for the most sacrifice flies (8).

He spent 2008 with the Lakeland Flying Tigers and led the Florida State League with 29 home runs and 94 RBIs despite missing the last portion of the season with a sprained wrist. He led Detroit farmhands in RBI as well. He also finished second in the FSL with 55 extra-base hits (7 behind leader Juan Francisco) and a .563 slugging percentage (.014 behind Brian Dopirak). He had a .278 average and .352 OBP. He was also named Detroit's Minor League Player of the Year. He failed to make the FSL All-Star team as Logan Morrison was picked at first. Baseball America named him Detroit's best power prospect.

He played the next year with the Erie Sea Wolves and hit .303/.427/.565 with 19 homers and 58 RBI in 86 games, again missing time with wrist injuries. Had eh qualified, he would have been 6th in the Eastern League in average, only .002 behind OBP leader Brock Bond and .011 behind slugging leader Dopirak. He again failed to crack a Baseball America list of the top 20 prospects in his league.